Dowling blocked Harrisburg from enforcing laws that ban the possession of guns in city parks, prohibit minors from carrying guns unless accompanied by an adult, and outlaw the sale, transfer and possession of firearms and ammunition when the mayor declares a state of emergency.

Dowling let stand two city ordinances; one that prohibits discharging a firearm within the city and another that states lost or stolen guns must be reported to police.

Attorney Justin McShane requested the preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit against the city filed on behalf of U.S. Law Shield of Pennsylvania, a gun owners group, and Todd Hoover, a retired state police trooper.

Act 192 of 2014, a law signed by Governor Tom Corbett last year, allows groups to sue Pennsylvania municipalities with gun ordinances that go beyond state law.